Koalas feed essentially on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. Yet, If the species of eucalyptus that they enjoy are threatened or disappear, they can be rescued by gut microbes, says Dr. Vasu Apanna, BoA member of Accuprec Research Labs.
How microbes are saving Koalas?
Koalas feed essentially on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. However, these cuddly animals have evolved to consume only plants specific to the environment where they are born. If the species of eucalyptus that they enjoy are threatened or disappear, these Koalas face imminent extinction. Fear no more, they can be rescued by gut microbes of their Koala brethren that feast on other species of eucalyptus. These microbes that are excreted in the fecal matter are utilized to populate the gut of the endangered koalas in order to allow them to eat different varieties of eucalyptus. Similar fecal transplant remedies can cure the bamboo-guzzling pandas and a myriad of animals including humans facing digestive complications. A microbe-rich therapeutic poop indeed!
Your unseen organ
Did you know that each adult possesses nearly 3kg of microbes? The liver is just 1.4kg while the heart is a mere 300gm. The invisible organ known as the microbiome is responsible for a myriad of tasks including digesting food, boosting the immune system, producing vitamins and generating the characteristic smell each one of us is blessed with. An average human consumes 60 tons of food during his/her lifetime. Without our gut microbes, this number will be even humongous…Say thanks to your invisible partners. These microbes maximize the extraction of nutrients from the food we eat. Even though they cannot be seen or touched, we are constantly reminded of their presence by the unruly noise and the smell emanating from our body. They are an integral part of the human physiology and their recent visualization is compelling a re-assessment of the healthcare system. To learn more on how the knowledge about the invisible organ will improve health, fight disease, solve world hunger, promote space travel , and much more read my book- HUMAN MICROBES- Power within: Health, Healing and Beyond.
Your Future Microbiome Fingerprint
About Author:
Dr. Vasu Appanna
[BoA member, Accuprec Research Labs Pvt. Ltd]
Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Science, Laurentian University (LU), Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Vasu Appanna is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Laurentian University since 2010 He has been at LU since 1989 as a Professor of Biochemistry and served as the Chair of the Department for six years. He completed his BSc from the University of Bombay, his MSc from the University of Wales, and his PhD from the University of Waterloo.
He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in the fields of bio-technology, metabolism and cellular adaptation and toxicology. He has supervised the first doctoral student at Laurentian University and over 115 HQP (BSc, MSc, PhD,Post-doctaral, research associate).
Dr. Appanna has led various funded projects with numerous countries including Russia, Vietnam, China and France. He is the editor of numerous journals. He sits on various organizations and boards, including AMRIC (Applied Medical Research Institute of Canada) and MIRARCO. He has served on different granting agencies like the Department of Energy, (DOE, USA) and the Ministry of Research and Innovation, Ontario. He is consulted world-wide in biotechnology. He is commercializing a biomining process and a kit to detect homocysteine, a marker for numerous diseases. He is also the academic editor of PLOS ONE and numerous journals.